


Have Yourself a Peanuts' Little Christmas

by Guylene



Category: Peanuts
Genre: Childhood Friends, Christmas, Friendship, Gen, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27898756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guylene/pseuds/Guylene
Summary: Following the death of one of the Peanuts, Charlie Brown tries to organize a reunion with childhood friends he hasn't heard from in years. Will he succeed?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by the song "Have yourself a merry little Christmas"

Everything started on a Friday evening at the beginning of December.

Linda and I had both come back from work, Jim was doing some assignment for the school and Abigail had just arrived home from the swimming pool. We were preparing for a quiet Friday evening dinner and TV when the doorbell rang. We all looked up, surprised: we weren't expecting any visit.

I opened the front door to reveal my sister Sally, looking unusually sad.

On some aspects, Sally had changed very much over the years. The child who only wanted to sit in front of the TV had developed a passion for travelling, sometimes scaring the hell out of me with her not-so-reasonable destinations. The child who had threatened authority was now working for social services, dealing with endangered teenagers and drug addicts and handled it well. As a teenager, she had still been obsessed with Linus but she went on with her love life after he left for college.

On other aspects, she was still the same old Sally. She wore her blond hair short and messy and liked colorful dresses and accessories. She had worn a gown on her wedding day only because our mother had threatened not to come if she hadn't.

"What's wrong? Our parents...?" I asked. Sally didn't live in our neighborhood and it was unusual for her to show up like that.

"Oh, no, it's alright. I just got some disturbing news and I thought you should know"

While talking, I led her in the living room, where my family greeted her.

"What news do you have?" I asked after Abby was finished hugging her.

"You remember Pig Pen?"

"Pig Pen?" interrupted Jim incredulously.

"Yes, an old childhood friend of us... he wasn't very clean..." I explained.

"He's dead" Sally cut in before my son had the time to answer.

"What?!"

"He overdosed, about a week ago" added Sally with a sad voice.

That wasn't really a surprise. I hadn't heard of Pig Pen after high school but he had already been using drugs back then.

"A colleague told me that today and I was... well we knew that he used, right? But still..."

I sat beside Sally on the sofa.

"I am really sorry. I remember playing with him... we always thought it was funny, how he always managed to get dirty, Maybe he already needed help..."

"Well, I wanted to tell you. Now I must go home before Josh has to leave for his night shift"

"Working on the whole weekend?" I asked.

"That can happen when you marry a policeman" she replied.

OOO

I was very silent during the dinner. Linda and the children chatted quietly but my wife looked concernedly at me from time to time.  
Yes, I hadn't seen Pig Pen in almost thirty years and we hadn't been best friends but still. I remembered us meeting at the park, at summer camp, with mutual friends and it was hard to imagine that that child had overdosed. But what had happened to the other children I had been playing and going to school with? I hadn't heard from some of them in years.

"It's snowing again" said Abigail looking out of the window "I'll go bring Nemo inside".

"I'm going to call Linus" I told Linda, putting my notebook on the small table in the living room. He was unusually online on Skype and I didn't even need to text him.

Linus had made a brilliant career at high school and college. Now he was working as a cardiologist in Rochester. He had married a colleague and had now a teenage daughter. He had given up his beloved blanket long ago but he was always the same old Linus: witty, insightful, always offering some philosophical or biblical sentence or some absurd detail about Roman history only he could remember.

Linus had been my best friend during my school years and things didn't change after he moved for college and then went to Rochester. Linus had been my best man, I had been his. We talked at least once a week and knew everything about each other, even the most ridiculous things.

I started a call and Linus answered almost immediately.

"Hello, Charlie Brown!" he said with a bright smile "Hi, Linda" he added, spotting my wife beside me "How are you doing?"

Abby and Jim went to sit on the couch and greeted him as well.

"Hi, Linus. We are all fine but I got some disturbing news from Sally today and I wanted to tell you" I went on.

He was saddened upon hearing about Pig Pen.

"I didn't even know where he was and what he was doing. Well, of course I knew about the drugs back then. Hard do miss..." he said sadly "His closest friends tried to help back then. If only..." he sighed heavily.

"I didn't feel like texting you that news..."

"Of course not, thank you for calling."

"And what about you? How are you doing?" I asked.

"We are all fine, thank you. And we are both not working at Christmas, unlike last year... we are coming over for Christmas. Lucy is coming as well"

"Well then, Christmas at home!" said Linda with a smile "It was just time, you haven't come here for Christmas in three years"

"Yeah, Christmas has been sad without you!" added Abby.

"Christmas can't be sad with your father, he loves it" Linus chuckled softly.

OOO

"Dad, were you good friends with this Pig Pen? You look really torn" said Abby when the call with Linus was over.

"No, we weren't really friends" I replied "it's just... I was in this group of children who played baseball and went to school and to summer camp together... we spent our afternoons together and I'm realizing I haven't seen many of them anymore in the past 30 years. I don't even know where they are now. And we were like _always_ together". I failed to add that I wasn't exactly the most popular guy in the group and that I often had to spend my time alone. But even if I didn't get Valentine cards and even if Lucy laughed at me I had never really been bullied, the other children still wanted to play baseball with me and to spend free time with me, unlike in high school.

"Then why don't you organize a reunion?" asked Abigail excitedly.

"A reunion?" I echoed.

"Yes! You know, contacting your old childhood friends and organizing a dinner or something"

I thought about it but it looked difficult: "I don't even know if they still live in Saint Paul and it is unlikely that they can come..."

"Abby is right, it sounds really nice and sweet! Besides, Linus and Lucy are already coming, that doesn't happen every year" reasoned Linda.

"It is useless to fight, dad" cut in Jim, who had been unusually quiet so far "when mum and Abby decide something, that something will be done".

He was right and I surrendered.

"Fine. But I don't know where to begin. I mean, I can't simply go where they used to live and look if their parents are still there"

"Dad, it's the 21st century. You can google them" snorted Jim "my word, you work with computers every day and you don't come to the idea"

"You know, I didn't grow up with computers, that's why I don't think about them..." I mumbled "And there is another problem: I don't really remember their names"

"Are you joking?" asked Abigail, shocked. "They were your friends!"

"Yes, but you know... there was this guy I played baseball with, we called him Schroeder but I don't know his first name. Of course I must've heard it but we just never used it. And there were these two girls, Peppermint Patty and Marcie... Peppermint Patty had a German surname I could never remember and Marcie... I'm not even sure that I've ever heard her last name."

"Well, if they're married they will have another last name anyway" reasoned Linda.

I smiled "Yeah... that's funny, they had both a big crush on me"

"Well, I hope they don't now" muttered Linda.

"A crush after 30 years? Not even Romeo and Juliet could last that long!" answered Abigail.

"Really, who on earth could remember all of these names after almost thirty years?" I asked, helpless.

"Linus!" Jim answered immediately.

I looked at him: "now, that's a clever idea!"

I noticed that Linus was still online on Skype and I started another call. Again, he answered almost immediately.

"Sorry for calling again, Linus, but a stubborn teenager just talked me into organizing a reunion with our old childhood friends and I need your help" I said grumpily.

He burst into laughter.

Now I would have to spend my weekend looking for old childhood friends. Not that I didn't want to meet them again, but I could already say that this reunion wasn't going to happen. They probably weren't living in Saint Paul anymore, had other plans for Christmas or didn't want to come anyway.

"But that's a very nice idea and a good way to remember Pig Pen. I'm in! What do you need?"

"Did you keep contacts with our schoolmates?"

"Huh, not really. Maybe I can help anyway?"

"What was Schroeder's first name?" I asked first.

"Edward" answered Linus without thinking a second.

"Yeah, that's it! Why the hell couldn't I remember that as well?"

Everyone laughed at that.

"I suppose you know the last name of Patty and Marcie as well?"

"Of course, Peppermint is Patricia Reichardt with 'd' and 't' and Marcie is Mary Johnson" answered Linus, again without thinking.

"Marcie's name was Mary?" I asked incredulously. Beside me, Abigail was noting all of the names on a paper.

"No, Mary Celia" explained Linus patiently "But maybe they're married and they have another last name".

"We will try anyway. Anyone else, dad?" asked Abigail.

"Well, there were Frieda and Franklin..."

"Frieda's last name was Rich. Franklin's was Armstrong" said Linus.

"I think I've never known these names" I commented.

"Now what are you going to do?" asked Linus.

"We are going to google all of them."

"And if you find them?"

"I think I'll organize something on December 23rd or so. When are you coming back?"

"On the very same 23rd" said Linus. "Let me know if you need anything else, I will tell Lucy myself"

OOO

After saying goodbye to Linus, Linda made hot chocolate for everybody, then we sat again on the sofa with hot mugs in our hands. Outside it was still snowing.

"Ok, let's start with this Edward Schroeder" said Abigail, tipping his name on the computer.


	2. Chapter 2

Abby typed "Edward Schroeder" on Google and soon a long list of websites and videos appeared.

"Uhm… piano player?" asked Abby.

"Really? Let me see" I said, turning the laptop to myself.

I clicked on the link ' _Edward Schroeder's Website_ ' and the picture of a blond man sitting at his piano appeared in front of me. There he was.

"Born in St. Paul… New Englang Conservatory of music… international masterclasses… wow. He loved playing piano and was good at it but I didn't know that he now is a great player!"

The photo gallery showed pictures of him playing in Chicago, New York, London, Vienna, Milan…

"Let's listen to him playing something" said Abby clicking on Videos.

"Cole Porter, Gershwin, Brahms, Beethoven… click on Beethoven, he loved him" I said.

Abby clicked on the video and we listened silently to the Piano Sonata number 7. And yes, as a child he had been good but definitely not as good as now. I had to buy a CD of his, I thought.

He still played in the same way, curled on his piano, even if his piano was not a little one anymore.

"Well, this is not really my thing but… wow!" said Jim, impressed. "Think about it, dad. You listened to him for free and now he's giving concerts all over the world. Is there an email or something?"

I clicked on contacts and found Schroeder's agent's email. I wrote a short message :

_Dear Sir_

_My name is Charles Brown and I am an old childhood friend of the pianist Edward Schroeder. We were classmates in Saint Paul, MN. I am organizing a reunion with our old childhood friends and I would like to invite Schroeder as well._ _Could you please let him read this email? You can also find me at this telephone number…_

I didn't write about Pig Pen, I didn't like to give such news with an email.

"Well, I hope he's going to answer" I said.

OOO

"Ok, let's go with the second, Peppermint Patty" said Linda.

I wrote 'Patricia Reichardt' on the laptop and many results appeared. None of them seemed to fit, though.

I thought briefly : "What do we do now ? Maybe her father still lives in Battle Creek…"

"Dad, look!" said Abigail, excited. She turned the laptop to me. She had written 'Peppermint Patty' and the first result of her research was now 'Peppermint Patty's Gym' in Duluth.

I clicked on the link of this large gym offering many different activities. I clicked on contacts and the picture of a young looking woman with freckles and a prominent nose appeared.

"That's Peppermint Patty, no doubt !" I exclaimed with a laugh.

"Look, it's still open tonight, we could try to call" said Abby.

I started a call and after a moment a feminine voice answered but I could tell from the first word that this wasn't Peppermint.

"Peppermint Patty's gym, this is Marquez. How can I help you ?"

I cleared my throat : "Hello, I am Charles Brown, an old childhood friend of Patty. I would like to talk to her if I may"

There was a short pause, then she asked: "Are you Chuck?"

My whole family looked at me, bewildered.

"That would be me, yes!"

"And you owned a dog called Snoopy and played as a pitcher, right? Patty told me a lot of things about you"

Linda didn't look very pleased about that but luckily Ms Marquez went on : "I'm Jessica, Patty's girlfriend. She's not here anymore tonight but I can give you her private telephone number. She would love to hear from you"

I wrote down the number, still taken aback from this news.

I bade goodbye to Jessica and noticed that everyone was looking at me.

"Chuck?" said Jim.

"Yes, she was always calling me that. And she called Lucy ‚ _Lucille_ ' "

" I thought she had a crush on you" said Abby with a smile.

" Abigail, we were children!" I sighed.

I composed the number Jessica had given me and soon a raspy voice answered.

"Hello, this is Reichardt?"

"I am Charlie Brown" I answered simply.

There was a pause, then Patty burst into laughter, her voice booming in our living room.

"CHUCK! I can't believe it! Jeeeez, I haven't heard from you in centuries! How are you? Who gave you my number?"

"I am fine. I called the gym and Jessica gave me your number after I told her who I was…"

"Yeah, she's heard a lot about you. What do you do, still living in St. Paul?"

"Yes. I am an accountant, twenty years in the same company… I'm married and have two teenage children"

"Wow, that's great! Well, you know about me, I moved to Duluth and opened a gym. No surprises there, huh?"

"No, you've always been an athlete. Look, I am calling for a reason…"

"Well, go on"

"I am very sorry to tell you that Pig Pen has died"

There was a longer pause this time. Then "It was the drugs, wasn't it?". She was very quiet now.

"Yes, it was the drugs."

Patty sighed heavily. "Chuck, he was constantly high when we were teenagers. I tried to help, we all did. I must say I am surprised that he didn't die before. At the time I feared that he wouldn't even turn twenty".

"You see, after hearing about his death I thought that I haven't talked with many of you childhood friends for years. Then my daughter suggested that maybe I could organize a reunion around Christmas. Something to remember Pig Pen too, you know?"

"Then you're lucky because I'm coming home. Last year we went to Jessica's in Oklahoma. Sweet idea, by the way. What would you like to organize?"

"Uhm, maybe a dinner together just before Christmas. Spouses invited, of course"

"Well, let me know when and where, will you ?"

"Of course. Do you still keep contact with Marcie?"

"You mean the teacher Mrs Greene? Yes, she lives in Bloomington"

"Teacher? Not surprising too!" I mused.

"Yeah, I could've told you that the very moment I met her. She's teaching at an elementary school in Bloomington. Do you need her number?"

"Yes, but… well, if she's married it would be weird to call and say ‚yes, I'm some old friend from almost forty years ago' you know…"

"Nick is not like that. But if you want I can call her and give her your number"

"And what about Franklin?" I asked, hoping that she had kept contact with him as well.

"Franklin has a restaurant with his brother. The _Armstrong Brothers' Summit Restaurant_ in St. Paul"

We looked at each other in astonishment: we had eaten there so many times!

"Franklin owns that restaurant?! I had no idea!"

"Course he does. I always drop by when I visit my dad in town. His wife makes the best cheesecake ever"

"And you? Are you still in contact with some of the old childhood friends?" she asked then.

"Only with Linus" I answered.

"Linus was the guy with the blanket, right?" she asked. Linda smiled but Abby and Jim looked at me with confusion in their eyes.

"Yes, even if he's given up the blanket a long time ago"

"The weirdest guy I've ever met but a fine baseball player" she commented shortly.

"And today I found out that my former catcher Schroeder has become a music star" I added.

"Chuck, did you really miss the posters that said ' _Great pianist Edward Schroeder playing in his hometown_ ' last year?" Patty asked in shock.

"I'm afraid I did..." I answered shaking my head.

"Oh, you're helpless! My father didn't miss it for sure. He went to Park Square Theatre to listen to him, even if he's not that fan of classical music. Well, Chuck, it has been good to hear from you. Call me when you've decided about the meeting, will you?"

After I closed the communication Jim said "And I thought Abby was an earthquake"

"If Abby is an earthquake, Patty is the Armageddon" I mused.

"What is the blanket?" asked Jim.

"Linus used to bring a blanket with him when he was a child. It was his security blanket, he said" I explained.

"So I'm not the first one thinking he's weird" said Jim with wide eyes.

We were about to go on when my phone rang.

"Hello, Charles" said Marcie's voice.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hi Marcie!" I said happily.

We exchanged greetings and a few questions. Marcie had married a real estate agent and lived in Bloomington. She had two teenage daughters who liked sport a whole lot more than she had, she explained with a laugh.

"Patty told me about Pig Pen. This is very sad, even if I am not surprised. Will there be a service or something?"

"I think the service is already done, he died about a week ago…" I answered.

There was a short pause.

"I still have a picture of us together at summer camp" she said "me, you, Patty, your sister, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Frieda, Franklin, Pig Pen… and of course your dog, Snoopy. It's a very beautiful picture, I will make a copy for everyone".

The mention of Snoopy really touched my heart. Of course, I had other dogs after Snoopy and I still had a dog but Snoopy had been the first one and the relationship with a dog is not quite the same for a child and for an adult.

"Anyway your idea of organizing a reunion with all of us is very sweet, I'm looking forward to it"

Abby stuck out her tongue and I could read ‚ _you see?_ ' on her lips. I shot her a bad glare and went back to Marcie.

"I think I'll plan it on December 23rd. Are you going to be in town? Spouses and children invited, of course"

"Yes, we are visiting Nick's parents in Milwaukee on 24th but before and after that we're here. And where?"

"Well, I was thinking at Franklin's? I found out today that he owns the summit restaurant" I said.

Marcie laughed again : "You know, he spotted me once. I went there with my family and he recognized me. He has grown a beard and wears glasses, I would've never recognized him"

We chatted a little more about our childhood friends, then we bade each other good bye and I stopped the call.

"She sounds really nice" said Abby.

"She's always been nice".

I was really surprised about how things were progressing. I hadn't heard from Patty and Marcie in almost thirty years but it was almost as if we had always been together. They had been more than happy to hear from me and enthusiastic about the meeting while I had expected something more like ' _oh, yes, Charlie Brown the bad pitcher. Hi'_.

"The next one would be Franklin" said Linda looking for the Summit Restaurant's telephone number. She handled me the restaurant's card with the number and I called. A juvenile voice answered: "Summit restaurant, I am LeRoy. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I am Charles Brown, a former childhood friend of Mr. Amstrong" I said.

"Which Mr. Amstrong, sir? Franklin or John?" he asked. Of course, the Armstrong _Brothers_. I didn't even recall Franklin having a brother, he was probably too young at the time.

"Franklin. Is he there?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown, but my father is not here anymore tonight. I can let you speak with my uncle or give you my father's number if it's urgent"

"It is not urgent but I don't need to speak with your uncle either. I am organizing a reunion with old childhood friends and I am looking for your dad"

"Then I can write your telephone number down and he can call you tomorrow in the morning".

"That would be great, thank you"

I gave him my number and bade him goodbye.

"So. We talked with Peppermint Patty and Marcie and found Schroeder and Franklin. There's only Frieda left"

I grimaced: "I have no idea where to begin, nobody mentioned her so far. I think I will simply call your grandmother tomorrow and ask. If her parents are still in the neighborhood, she will certainly now where Frieda is".

OOO

"At first I didn't think this was a good idea" I told Linda once we were in our bedroom.

"You never do" she smiled, removing her earrings "but now you're more excited than Abby herself".

In fact I was. I hadn't spoken with these people in thirty years and now I was looking forward to meeting them.

"You use to say that the other children didn't like you very much but it doesn't look like that" she said frowning "Patty and Marcie were clearly happy to hear from you"

"Well, Patty and Marcie were not the ones I had problems with. And moreover, people who didn't like me were more of a problem during high school".

It was true, my high school years had been miserable. I had been bullied continuously and I had given up playing sports because most people didn't welcome me in the teams. I wasn't a bad student but I wasn't the best either, I didn't have any special talent. Needless to say, I wasn't popular among girls. My life had been like hell and it was only because of my friendship with Linus that I hadn't been bullied even more.

Linus had been our school's best student and athlete in years and at the same time he wasn't a gunner. Nobody ever tried to bully him. On the very few times when someone mocked him, he reacted with such an utter indifference that the people mocking him felt ridiculous more than guilty. Everyone knew I was Linus' best friend and avoided bullying me whenever he was around, even if he was younger than I.

At the end of high school, my dog Snoopy died and some time after that Linus moved to Michigan for college. Those were the most difficult times for me.

And then, in just a few months, everything changed.

I found a job I was good at and where people appreciated me for being punctual and accountable. I met a lovely young woman who liked me. In a very few years, I had become a husband and a father. At that point I only wanted to look forward and not past, I didn't want to think about my school items being stolen or the girls laughing at me anymore, I wanted to begin a new life. I only kept contacts with closest friends and family. Now, looking back, I felt that my childhood hadn't been that miserable, apart from some silly classmates.

"I was happy with Peppermint, Schroeder, Franklin, Marcie. Abby is right, I should've done it before" I told Linda turning off my light.


End file.
